Grenlec unveils new company logo

The new logo of Grenada’s lone electricity provider, the Grenada Electricity Services Ltd. (GRENLEC) is now being featured in all lower case letters and pays homage to Grenada’s iconic nutmeg.
It features the electric plug, a universal symbol for electricity with vibrant green, yellow and gray colours to reflect the company’s commitment to environmental sustainability, clean energy and advanced technologies geared at creating a closer relationship with Grenlec customers.

“This investment is not only being made in the rebranding of Grenlec and its equipment but also in the people of Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique,” declared Grenlec’s General Manager Collin Cover in an interview with reporters following the media launch of the new logo last week Friday at the company’s Dusty Highway Headquarters, St George.

“We want to start portraying to the public who we are as a people and what our thoughts are and one thing we promise you is that whatever we put out there it’s going to be 100% true and transparent. You can check all the facts we give to you,” added Cover who acknowledged Grenlec’s realisation of what he described as a “misconception” about electricity and how electricity companies work.

According to Cover, this is the first major rebranding for the electricity company, which has been operating on the island for close to 60 decades.

Cover pointed out that in the spirit of innovation, Grenlec is introducing the new company logo and multi-educational campaign dubbed, “Energising our Grenada” to communicate the utility’s dedication to the delivery of high-quality, reliable, safe and affordable service for Grenada.

With the prominence of the “Internet – facebook and twitter…we have realised that we have to be more responsible to the customers,” Cover said.

He stated that it “is not only Grenlec that is doing this (rebranding)]” but that “a lot of other utilities around the world are now realising that this needs to be done, because we have to really interface with our public.”

“In the past, utility companies were rather introverted and didn’t really care much about what the public thought but that is all changing…”, Clover said.

He attributed the rebranding to the change in times, describing it as “simply us (Grenlec) showing to the public what we are doing.”

According to Cover, it is the hope of Grenlec that with its new brand the company is “sort of taking away some of the barriers so that the people can see us and we can interact more freely,” adding that the investment is not so much in the rebranding but just simple “in the way we do things and why we do it.”

The GRENLEC boss also acknowledged two major concerns those being with renewable energy and rate increase and dispelled the perception of many that the utility does not care how its customers are affected in this regard.

“We want people to understand that we are concerned about rates”, Clover told reporters.

“People have the perception that utility companies make more money when the rates are high”, he said, and challenged those who hold that view “to come out and show the facts…(because) that it is not necessarily so.”

Clover acknowledged that the company “sells more power when the rates are low.”

Pointing to the “challenges faced in getting the rates down,” Clover said that Grenlec has “no interest in merely having very high rates” and that the company “wants people to understand why” changes occur in the rates and “to be more informed about what is happening.”

He said that Grenlec is “pushing ahead with renewable energy,” but noted that “getting control of lands continues to be a challenge” for this kind of development as “sometimes persons don’t have the proper titles for the land” and persons with proper titles call for exorbitant prices…and therefore it starts to make the project not as viable”.
However, he pointed out “renewables would not necessarily drive rates down instantly” because, “the advantage (of renewables) is that when the price of oil goes up the rates would remain the same.”

Cover affirmed that “if we can get control of land” it would present an opportunity that can make Grenlec the leading Caribbean utility in terms of renewable and renewable penetration.”

She also revealed some of the things to come under the new Grenlec brand campaign.

Some themes to be featured include “energizing our Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique, our future, certainly our economy and our community, she said, noting that the change would be recognised during the course of a 12-month period.

“It’s a gradual process and that’s the approach we are taking…we will have a 12- month transition process, so if you see the old logo that’s ok, things will change over time,” added Greenidge.